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2025
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Driving is safer: Automatic adjustment of the braking gap - a guide for beginners.
At the 2014 Hannover Motor Show, many domestic parts manufacturers exhibited their advanced products, among which the automatic brake clearance adjustment arm from Longzhong Holdings left a deep impression on us. The automatic brake clearance adjustment arm has already been applied to vehicles using drum brakes in Europe and America, but it has not become widespread in China. On the Truck Home forum, we learned that many users are not yet clear about the concept of the automatic brake clearance adjustment arm. Today, I will provide a brief introduction to the automatic brake clearance adjustment arm.
● What is a brake clearance automatic adjustment arm? The brake clearance automatic adjustment arm, referred to as the 'automatic adjustment arm', is a device that can automatically and in real-time adjust the brake clearance, ensuring that the brake clearance is maintained at an appropriate level. This allows for timely and reliable braking, which is very beneficial for driving safety. It is important to note that the use of the automatic adjustment arm is limited to drum brake systems. Moreover, vehicles equipped with ABS cannot achieve optimal performance without an automatic adjustment arm, because manual adjustments can lead to differences in the lever arms and braking forces of individual brake calipers.
The automatic adjustment arm products exhibited by Longzhong Holdings at the 2014 Hannover Motor Show. Currently, the manually adjustable brake gap arm widely used in the domestic market has certain drawbacks. Firstly, manual adjustment has a certain cycle, and towards the end of this cycle, that is, before the next adjustment of the brake gap, the brake gap is already at a relatively large value. This may lead to a longer brake stroke, insufficient braking efficiency, and in severe cases, could cause brake force fatigue, posing a safety hazard. Secondly, manual adjustment is difficult to ensure high consistency in the gap between each wheel, which may lead to problems such as wheel misalignment and vehicle tail swing. ● Standard equipment in Europe and America, rarely used in domestic trucks. Abroad, in regions such as Europe and America, manufacturers of heavy-duty vehicles, buses, and trailers have made the automatic gap adjustment arm a standard accessory for drum brakes. In contrast, its usage in domestic buses is more common, while the matching rate for trucks is very low, less than ten percent. The brands used internationally are mainly Hande, which occupies the vast majority of the overseas market; while in the domestic market, there are many brands, among which Longzhong has a large market share, with other brands including Hengxin, Shenyu, Anjie, and Tiegege among those we learned about.
Longzhong's Second Generation Automatic Adjustment ArmRegarding the issue of the automatic adjustment arm for braking gaps, we also conducted a telephone interview with Yang Liying, General Manager of the Sales Center of Longzhong Holdings Group. According to Manager Yang, by the end of last year, Longzhong Holdings' automatic adjustment arm had captured a 55% market share in the domestic bus market and 42% in the truck market. This year, the production of automatic adjustment arms reached 580,000 units, and it is expected that by the end of this year, the market share in the truck sector will exceed 50%.Furthermore, an industry insider noted that most of the current customers for automatic adjustment arms come from bus manufacturers, while truck users only account for a small portion, with some from the relatively few logistics fleets.● Why hasn't the automatic adjustment arm gained popularity domestically?First, manual adjustment arms are cheaper; if switched to automatic adjustment arms, the cost per axle for a drum brake would increase by 200-300 yuan.
Isuzu with automatic adjusting armsCurrently, the market price for manual adjusting arms is around 50 yuan, while the price for domestically produced automatic adjusting arms is about 150 yuan, with more expensive ones possibly reaching 200 yuan, and imported Hand brand automatic adjusting arms priced at around 260 yuan. It’s clear that there is a significant price difference between automatic and manual adjusting arms. Additionally, a single vehicle may require multiple adjusting arms, which amplifies the price disparity, making it difficult for users to accept.Second, there are no mandatory requirements for trucks to install automatic adjusting arms according to national policies. Under the current national standards, only passenger vehicles are required to have automatic adjusting arms for drum brakes, and there are no compulsory measures for trucks.Third, people do not have a deep enough understanding of safety; driving safety is the greatest benefit. The losses caused by accidents cannot be weighed against the increased costs brought by automatic adjusting arms.
The automatic adjustment arm installed on the 457 axleFourth, users lack proper understanding of the automatic adjustment arm. Some users have experienced poor matching after using the automatic adjustment arm, and with the high costs, it is easy to revert to choosing manual adjustment arms.I also learned from the forum that some maintenance personnel do not have enough knowledge about the automatic adjustment arm, leading to instances where the automatic adjustment arm was damaged. As a result, many maintenance personnel are hesitant to handle automatic adjustment arms, which severely hinders the popularization of the automatic adjustment arm.● New National Standard: The automatic adjustment arm will become standard equipment.In the national standard GB 12676-2014 "Technical Requirements and Test Methods for Brake Systems of Commercial Vehicles and Trailers" released on October 10 this year, it is clearly stipulated that road transport vehicles with a gross vehicle weight greater than 3.5 tons must be equipped with a brake clearance automatic adjustment arm. This standard will be implemented starting July 1, 2015, at which time automatic adjustment arms will be standard equipment installed on road freight vehicles over 3.5 tons.The issuance of this national standard will greatly promote the popularization and development of automatic adjustment arms in our country, making a significant contribution to enhancing the safety of transportation in China.● Editor's Note:The mandatory implementation of national standards is only a strong driving force; what is more important is the need for people's understanding of safety to be improved, so that automatic adjustment arms can be more widely recognized and accepted by users.With the issuance of the national mandatory standards, the automatic adjustment arm is bound to experience explosive growth in the Chinese truck sector, and the foreseeable market prospects are extremely broad.
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